Marielito

[ mahr-ee-uh-lee-toh; Spanish mah-rye-lee-taw ]

noun

, plural Ma·ri·e·li·tos [mahr-ee-, uh, -, lee, -tohz, mah-, r, ye-, lee, -taws].

1. a refugee from Cuba who came to the U.S. in 1980 as part of a mass migration that sailed from Mariel, Cuba.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Marielito¹

First recorded in 1980–85; from Latin American Spanish (Cuba), equivalent to Mariel, the port from which the migration began + -ito noun suffix, usually diminutive